Peter Kitelo

Ogiek Community of Mt. Elgon in Kenya

Kenya Forest Indigenous Peoples Network (FIPN)

Peter was born and raised in Mt. Elgon forests, where he and his community experienced violent evictions from their homes. Peter joined other community activists in advocating against land dispossession and co-founded the Chepkitale Indigenous People Development Project (CIPDP) in 2000. He has since been an active member of CIPDP, first as a Communications Officer and now Strategic Director. He is also the convener of the Forest Indigenous Peoples Network in Kenya. Peter participated in suing the government after it converted parts of his community’s land to a game reserve while at the same time trying to convince the government that a win-win outcome for conservation and land rights for the community was possible through allowing the community live sustainably in its lands. He further helped write down the community’s sustainability by-laws. Currently, Peter is engaged in bringing together traditional forest dependent communities in Kenya to pursue issues of common interest, especially through engagements with the National Land Commission. He is additionally engaged in the legal process of making proposals for the drafting of laws that would enable communities own and manage their lands and their natural resources as well as laws that redress historical land injustices.

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Led by the Center of International Forestry Research (CIFOR) alongside founding partners UN Environment and the World Bank, with core funding provided by the German Government, the Global Landscapes Forum (GLF) accelerates action towards the creation of more resilient, equitable, profitable, productive and healthy landscapes and the achievement of the UNFCCC Paris Agreement and Sustainable Development Goals (Agenda 2030).